Your Source for Hassle-Free Home Improvement

Roofing

Everybody knows that the roof over your home serves one primary purpose: to protect you from the elements. When it’s raining, you want to stay dry. When it’s cold, you want to be warm. When it’s hot, you want to stay cool. As for appearance, the only good looking roof is the one you never notice.

I was having lunch with one of my good friends in the industry and we were talking about what motivates a homeowner to buy a new roof. Her response was a bit of an eye-opener. “Nobody ever WANTS to buy a roof”, she said. “They only buy one when they HAVE TO. People don’t wake up and say: ‘Honey, let’s go buy a new roof today!’”.

She was dead-on correct. Buying a new roof is a reactionary purchase. If your roof is leaking and buckets are dotting your kitchen floor, you need a new roof NOW! Unlike most home improvement decisions, the homeowner is immediately on the defensive and at the mercy of the roofing industry.

If you talk to friends and neighbors who have been through the process, you will have probably heard all of the following:

“It’s going to be more expensive than you think”

“The prices will be all over the map”

“The sales people will sit in your house for hours during dinner time and pressure you into buying that day”

“Just get it repaired; it’s much cheaper”

“Make sure they pull a permit”…. “Don’t let them pull a permit”

“You HAVE to get the best warranty” … “The warranties are a joke; they don’t cover anything”

At Hire it Done we have developed a state-of-the-art process that removes the anxiety out of purchasing a new roof, and puts the homeowner back in charge. All of our contractors have to agree to abide by the Hire it Done Code of Ethics and use the exclusive Hire it Done Roof Report to present an honest assessment of the customer’s roofing situation.

Arnie Goodman is the owner of American Standard Roofing in Southfield, Michigan and is one of Hire it Done’s select roofing contractors. Arnie sent me an email outlining their approach:

Always do a thorough assessment of the issues with the roof. This usually includes crawling in the attic to look for any problems with rotted wood, insulation or ventilation.

Understand the financial objectives of the homeowner which may include determining if a valid insurance claim needs to be filed. If financing has to be considered, we clearly explain all of the options that are available.

Educate the homeowner on all of the issues related to the well-being of their roof. We don’t throw out a bunch of roofing terms to confuse them; we make sure they understand what solutions we are proposing. Everything that is covered by warranty is clearly explained.

Propose the best possible solution to ensure that their roof will never leak again and provide the best ventilation and energy savings possible. If a repair is an option, we will outline the pros and cons of doing a repair instead of installing a new roof.

Ensure they understand the schedule of the project, and our policy about keeping their yard clean and removing all debris. We show them our license and insurance and ALWAYS PULL A PERMIT.

Finally, Arnie said, “We let the homeowner take their time to make a decision. There is no ‘today-only’ sale. In the long run, we want the homeowners who genuinely feel that we offer the best roof and customer service for years to come.”

If your roof is leaking, DON’T PANIC. Visit Hire it Done and usually within hours, a small but select set of the best roofers in Michigan will contact you to help you out. Your anxiety levels will immediately start to drop and before you know it, your home will be better than ever. Remember, it is your home and the contractors need to earn the right to do work on your house by displaying honesty, integrity, knowledge and professionalism at a fair price.

With all of the crazy TV roof ads for 50% off, 0 down, $99 a square, and so on, how can a homeowner filter through it all to know what they should be paying and what is ACTUALLY a good deal?

Let’s just talk common sense. Do you think I could stay in business giving you 50% off every roof? If my price per square (a square is 100 square feet of shingles) is much lower than everyone else’s, I’m either not making any money or inflating my measurements just to make you think you’re getting a better deal.

Let me introduce you to my friend: “Fuzzy Math”.

To understand the pricing for a roof, you need to understand how contractors run their business.

They normally consider the pricing of a new roof based on how many squares are required, how much waste they anticipate, the quality of the shingles, the difficulty of the job and the condition of the existing roof and structure.

UNTIL YOU HAVE A ROOF MEASUREMENT YOU CAN TRUST, YOU CANNOT BELIEVE ANY QUOTE!

The first step is to understand how big your roof actually is and make sure that you and your contractor are in agreement. Now do I expect you to get up on your own roof with a tape measure and try to figure this out? Of course not. Although experienced roof contractors can “guesstimate” how big a roof is by just looking at it, the best ones will get as precise as possible — it’s in their best interest to know how much material they will need. A good roofer understands profit margin and needs to be able to provide a quote that is not only as good as possible for you, but ensures they are is still in business for years to come.

This is ONE very important reason to have multiple roofers examine your home. They should all be within a very close range in their measurements. If the measurements vary by a wide amount — RED FLAG! If you have 4 of them come out and 3 measurements are close to each other, and the 4th is way off, you should be concerned about what that 4th contractor is quoting. If they don’t measure at all, kick them out!

When you submit a roof project request through Hire it Done, we will immediately use our unique aerial analytics to generate a very precise measurement of your house and send it to our pre-screened contractors. They will all make appointments to meet with you to tell you why they feel they offer the best product, installation and support. We encourage you to meet with multiple contractors to learn what makes them unique and how they are going to give you the best roof that you can afford.

Even better, all Hire it Done roofing contractors will show up with the same measurement report for your house. Ask the contractor for the report and have them explain it to you so that you understand your roof measurements. If there is still any confusion, contact me at Hire it Done and I’ll help you decipher any quote.

Buying a new roof can be pretty intimidating. Before you make any decision, make sure you are working with a measurement and a contractor you can trust!